Flash, then dash — on a bicycle

A man who exposed himself to a Ballard woman last week might be the same man who fondled himself earlier this month in front of a Queen Anne coffee shop, police said.

In both cases earlier this month the man is believed to have escaped by bicycle.

The first incident was reported June 23 when a woman in her mid-20s told police she was at a coffee shop in the 100 block of Nickerson Street and a man was fondling himself under a newspaper.

The man, described in a police report as 5 foot 8 with sandy hair, did not expose himself, but smiled at the woman during the incident. While the woman was waiting for police to arrive about 8 p.m., the man, whose age was not known, left on a bike trail.

The second incident happened June 26th in the 1500 block of Northwest 58th Street. A woman in her early 30s told police she was inside her apartment when her dog began acting strange. She noticed a mountain bike leaning up against the front of her building.

When she opened her bedroom window shade, she saw a man naked from the waist down fondling himself. The woman told police she screamed for about 20 seconds, but the man didn’t move right away.

He eventually walked off, and the bike was gone when a neighbor checked outside, according to a police report. Because of poor lighting, the woman was not able to get a good description.

Police spokesman Mark Jamieson said it’s possible the same man is involved in both incidents, but there is no clear link.